DOWN

The dollar and the yen gained in thin trade as investors reduced risk positions on Tuesday, while the Australian dollar fell ahead of a central bank decision where it is widely expected to be keep interest rates steady.

World stock prices fell for the fourth day running on Monday and the dollar traded close to two-month lows on growing concerns of slowdowns in the United States and China -- the two main pillars of global growth.

World equities fell for the fourth day running on Monday and the dollar traded close to two-month lows on growing concerns of slowdowns in the United States and China -- the two main pillars of global growth.

World equities fell for the fourth day running on Monday and the dollar traded close to two-month lows on growing concerns of slowdowns in the United States and China -- the two main pillars of global growth.

Global services growth geared down a notch in June, data showed on Monday, supporting the view in financial markets that emerging and developed economies are set to cool off through the second half of the year.

Stocks slipped on Thursday as manufacturing and other data suggested a slowing recovery, but shares were well off session lows as investors snapped up some beaten-down shares.

Gold edged down on Thursday as investors waited for more clues on the state of the global economy after prices rallied toward a record this week, but falling shares could spur another round of safe haven buying.

The euro hit a record low against the Swiss franc and the Australian dollar also fell on Thursday as weaker-than-expected Chinese data added to doubts about the strength of the global recovery. The Chinese data sparked selling in higher-yielding currencies, with one trader saying low liquidity and short-term speculators taking punts on the euro against the Swiss franc and the Australian dollar against the yen added to the volatility.

Gold prices dropped below $1240 in Asian trade Thursday mainly on conflicting reports over global economic situation. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1239.84 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time while U.S. gold futures for August delivery was at $1,241.7 on the Comex in New York.

Barnes & Noble Inc shares hit their lowest level in more than a year even as its chief executive said on Tuesday that the bookseller could dominate a quarter of the growing e-books market within a few years and generate billions of dollars in new sales.

The Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of a law to prevent fraud committed by companies like Enron and WorldCom, saying a board to police public companies' auditors violated the Constitution.

The euro hit a lifetime low against the Swiss franc and a three-week trough versus the yen on Tuesday on funding jitters ahead of a deadline for European banks to repay money to the European Central Bank.

The world's richest economies, saddled with huge debts after spending their way out of the credit crisis, papered over differences on Friday on how to clean up their finances with minimal damage to growth.

Economic growth was slower than previously estimated in the first quarter as estimates of business and consumer spending were cut, according to government data on Friday.

Lennar Corp , the third-largest U.S. homebuilder, reported higher-than-expected quarterly earnings and affirmed its goal of profitability for the full year.

Asian stocks mostly steadied while the dollar eased on Thursday amid concerns over the global outlook after the Federal Reserve said the economic recovery was faltering.

Stocks fell more than 1 percent in yet another late-day selloff on Tuesday as unexpectedly poor housing figures and the puncture of a key technical level sapped buying interest.

Latin American currencies firmed on Tuesday as stronger-than-expected German economic data offset concerns that Europe's efforts to confront debt troubles may crimp global economic growth.

A top MySpace executive has decided to quit News Corp's social networking site after just four months at the job, the second high-profile departure in a year for the struggling company.

Gold firmed to near a one-week high on Thursday as the euro struggled to sustain gains and shares slipped on uncertainty over the pace of economic recovery in the United States.

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday, a day after Wall Street jumped more than 2 percent, on new concerns about Spain's fiscal problems, while investors awaited data on producer prices and housing.